Gov test 2/21

activities that political parties do to win elections

-advertise -fundraise -nominate candidates -organize rallies -recruit candidates -conduct public opinion polling -hold conventions

a demographic trend that contributed to changes in entitlement spending

-aging population increases spending on entitlement programs -rising poverty rates increase spending on entitlement programs

how public opinion polls impact media coverage of political campaigns

-amount/type of campaign media coverage changes bc of changing polling numbers -results in a lack of policy coverage -frequent polling leads to horse race journalism

how demographic changes affect way parties operate in congress

-appoint minorities to leadership positions -be more responsive to lobbyists who represent minority interests -legislate based on minority interests -influence committee priorities that are more focused on minority interests

The Fourteenth Amendment protects civil rights and civil liberties. Describe the difference between civil rights and civil liberties

-civil rights protect groups from discrimination -civil liberties protect individuals from gov actions

how polling results are used by politicians

-collecting info on how to conduct their campaign -collecting info to shape policy -gaining support from donors -conducting opposition research -collecting info to inform votes on bills

The framers created the electoral college to elect the president of the United States. This system influences the campaign strategies of presidential candidates. (a) Describe one reason that the framers chose to use the electoral college as the method to elect the president.

-compromise between big and small states -protection against direct election by uninformed citizens to elites -didnt trust the ppl, congress, or state legislatures to solely select pres. -reinforced federalism and gave states a role in presidential selection

The framers created the electoral college to elect the president of the United States. This system influences the campaign strategies of presidential candidates. d) Describe two campaign tactics presidential candidates use to win the key states identified in the cartoon above.

-concentration of money in those states -more tv ads and use of media in those states -bigger campaign orgs in those states -focus on issues that swing voters in that state care about

American politics has often been called an "invitation to struggle." Although in recent years the president has been thought to have an advantage in policy making, there are still constraints on the power of the president. -Describe the influence of divided government on the policy-making process.

-control of congress by one party and control of the presidency by the other party makes it more difficult to enact legislation -control of the two chambers of congress by opposing political parties makes it more difficult to pass legislation

The Fourteenth Amendment protects civil rights and civil liberties. Identify the primary clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that is used to extend civil rights

-equal protection clause

interest groups limit representative democracy

-favor narrow interest over broad interests -providing biased info -overrepresenting elites and their interests

strategies that interest groups use to influence the electoral process.

-giving money -forming pacs -endorsing candidates -lobbying -issue advocacy -grassroots canvassing -polling

how can pres respond to demographic changes

-issue executive orders to respond to minority policy views -set the agenda to support or oppose minority interests -sign or veto legislation regarding minority interests

power exercised by supreme court that acts as a check on another branch of the fed gov

-judicial review -power to declare governmental actions unconstitutional -power to overrule/uphold laws passed by congress or actions taken by the pres or bureaucracy

constitutional provision that seeks to insulate the supreme court from public opinion

-justices serve for life -justices are appointed/ not elected -justices salaries cannot be reduced

role of congress

-makes,writes, and passes legislation/policy

important functions of political parties as linkage institutions

-nominating/running/-recruiting candidates for elected office -fundraising -providing distinct political choices to voters -providing voter cues/info abt policy choices

characteristics of a reliable scientific public opinion poll

-random sample -representative sample -large sample size. low margin of error -survey format -unbiased wording

changes in entitlement spending make balancing the fed budget difficult

-reducing discretionary spending requires prioritizing -cutting programs w popular support/differing party positions is challenging -increasing revenue/ taxes is difficult

how supreme court protects it political independence

-secret deliberations -no public recordings -control of its docket -limited public statements/ media appearances

description of an advantage of federalism for the creation of public policy

-states can make policy specific to their individual needs -states serve as laboratories of democracy.policy innovators -the fed gov can establish uniform policy -states can make policy in the absence of national consensus

how 3rd parties can affect elections

-take cotes away from one of the major party candidates -set the agenda -shift attention away from major party candidates

The framers created the electoral college to elect the president of the United States. This system influences the campaign strategies of presidential candidates. (b) Describe the message the cartoon above conveys about presidential elections.-

-the candidates focus only on swing states -many states are ignored by pres candidates

The framers created the electoral college to elect the president of the United States. This system influences the campaign strategies of presidential candidates. (c) Explain why California, Texas, and New York do not appear prominently in the cartoon above.

-these states are not competitive because one party possesses disproportionate influence or power ( or a variation thereof)

how congress can reduce the likelihood of a pres veto

-withdraw the legislation -make concession to the pres -negotiate w the pres -rally the public to influence the pres

const. amendment that increased suffrage

15-african american 19- women 23- DC residents 24- poll tax outlawed 26- 18 yr and older

primary goal of interest groups

Influencing public policy/government actions

how us vs lopez and obergefell v hodges affected the balance of power between the fed and state gov

US v Lopez -courts decision in Lopez struck down a fed law creating gun free school zones which limited the power of the fed gov in relation to the states -adopted a more narrow interpretation of congress use of commerce clause Obergefell v Hodges- decision declared that state laws prohibiting recognition of same sex marriage violate the us const. which limited state gov

voting rights act 1965, motor voter act (NVRA) effect citizen participation in elections

VRA- eliminated barriers to voting; increased, but did not grant minority participation NVRA- allows individuals to register to vote when getting drivers license or at other gov agencies, make it easier to register

medias role in -gatekeeping/agenda settings -scorekeeping/horse race journalism

agenda setting- media determines which issues are perceived as relevant to voters horse race journalism- whos winning rather than focusing on policy issues relevant to the voters

The framers of the Constitution devised a federal system of government that affected the relationship between the national and state governments. Explain how each of the following has played a role in the devolution of power from the national government to the states. • Block grants • Supreme Court decisions

block grants - broad fed funding that allows states to have more discretion in how funding is spent, thus states have greater flexibility in policy implementation supreme ct decisions -struck down encroachments of nat gov attempts to take states power, thereby protecting states powers -thru the use of judicial review, state power is protected

explain how deficit spending affects the projected trend in net interest

borrowing money increases the debt, which increases spending on net interest

how checks and balances and federalism protects against the concentration of power

checks and balances - by allowing each branch some power over the branches the const limits the possibility of one branch getting too powerful federalism- by dividing power between the nat/fed and state gov, the const ensured that the nat gov would not be too powerful

American politics has often been called an "invitation to struggle." Although in recent years the president has been thought to have an advantage in policy making, there are still constraints on the power of the president. (a) Describe a power of the president in each of the following roles. • Chief legislator • Chief bureaucrat or chief administrator

chief legislator- agenda setting; veto; message power/ state of the union address; going public/ bully pulpit chief bureaucrat- appointments; executive orders; manage/oversee the bureaucracy; use white house staff to control bureaucrats (OMB); prioritize agency activities

American politics has often been called an "invitation to struggle." Although in recent years the president has been thought to have an advantage in policy making, there are still constraints on the power of the president. Explain how each of the following limits the president's influence in policy making. • Civil service employees • The Supreme Court

civil service employees- bureaucratic discretion; agency view; civil service protection; interest group capture of agencies; expertise the supreme court- declares presidential acts unconstitutional

The framers of the Constitution devised a federal system of government that affected the relationship between the national and state governments. Explain how each of the following has been used to expand the power of the federal government over the states. • Commerce clause • Mandates

commerce clause: -federal gov/ congress controls interstate commerce (transportation, etc.) and the states cant control; it is an exclusive federal authority -fed gov/ us supreme court increases the power of the fed gov through decisions (such as heart of atlanta) and the states cannot; it is an exclusive fed authority mandates -the fed government directs the states to implement policies such as american w disabilities act. thus reducing state discretion and increasing fed discretion

how can congress and the pres limit the supreme courts independence

congress -proposing const amendments or passing legislation -impeaching justices -increasing or decreasing the number of justices -setting the operating budget of the supreme court president -refusing to enforce judicial decisions -making public statements/exerting pressure

dif between entitlement programs and discretionary programs

congress is required to fund entitlement programs whereas spending on discretionary programs may change from year to year

role of courts and media in policy process

courts -court decisions can create block or guide public policy thru judicial review, overturn, and precedent media -agenda setting -they inform the public on public policy issues

The Fourteenth Amendment protects civil rights and civil liberties. Identify the primary clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that is used to extend civil liberties.

due process clause

electoral college and selection of senators b4 17th amendment limited the ppls ability to influence national gov

electoral college- feature that reduces the influence of the popular vote for the pres thereby limiting the ppls direct influence on the nat gov selection of senator b4 17th amendment- the selection of senators prior to the 17th amendment limited the direct influence of the ppl because state legislatures selected senators rather than the ppl choosing senators thru a popular election

correct identification of the bureaucracy's primary role in the policy process

implementation of policy

how single member districts make it difficult for 3rd parties to win elections

in winner take all systems or plurality systems 3rd party candidates in single member districts have a difficult time getting enough votes to win

how interest groups reduce the influence of public opinion on policy

interest groups use tactics (lobbying, providing info, campaign contributions) to affect policy change by institutions or individuals, regardless of public opinion on the policy

identify trends

just look at graph/table

how divided party control of congress makes the policy process difficult

legislation is more dif to pass when one party controls the house and the other controls the senate because they have dif priorities; gridlock

interest groups strategy for amicus curiae brief and lobbying

lobbying -persuading decision makers to adopt their preferences -offering expertise -providing info to lawmakers -writing legislation. consulting amicus curiae brief -providing legal arguments to support interest group position s on court cases -joining w other interest grwhatoups b4 courts to support common goals

how a newly elected pres and national crisis increases the likelihood of policy change

newly election pres- -presidents claim an electoral mandate that allows them to pressure congress into adopting their agenda -new presidents can issue executive orders or make appointments that may influence public policy -pres have more political capital during their honeymoon period which allows them to set the agenda -the new press party is more likely to have gained seats in congress during the pres election so its easier to pass legislation national crisis -focuses the attention of policymakers, which can lead to policy change -unifies and mobilizes the public, which can lead to policy change

describe checks and balances

one branch of gov exercises power in order to prevent another branch from becoming too powerful

how congress can limit the power of bureaucracy oversight hearings power of the purse

oversight hearings- monitor through hearings; investigations accounting power of the purse- increase/decrease budgets; shift spending; punish or regard agencies; kill a programs

how rule making and bureaucratic discretion increases power of bureaucracy

rule making- bureaucrats write the specific regulations that determine the implementation of public policy, which enhances bureaucratic power bureaucratic discretion- individual bureaucrats have to make choices about how to implement existing laws, which enhances bureaucratic power

how does separation of powers and bureaucratic discretion hinder the success of interest groups in obtaining their primary goal

separation of powers -complicates efforts/ability to influence policy -multiple access points -each branch requires interest groups to use dif strategies bureaucratic discretion -the bureaucracy may not follow the intentions of interest groups -the bureaucracy may not implement the law in the way interest groups desire

The framers of the Constitution devised a federal system of government that affected the relationship between the national and state governments. Compare state sovereignty under the Articles of Confederation and under the Constitution

states were sovereign under the articles of confederation but under the constitution they have shared power/ limited power

description of supremacy clause and 10th amendment

supremacy clause -establishes the fed laws/ US const. take precedence over state laws/ state const. 10th amendment -powers that are not delegated to fed gov are reserved to the states

describe the role of the state of the union in legislative process

the state of the union is given by the pres to congress to outline the presidents legislative agenda.agenda setting or to influence legislation

describe veto in the legislative process

veto allows the pres to refuse to approve a bill passed by congress

The Fourteenth Amendment protects civil rights and civil liberties. Describe a specific legislative action that extended civil rights to each of the following. • Women • Persons with disabilities

women-19th amendment right to vote, equal pay for equal work, laws expanding role of women in the military persons w disabilities- americans w disabilities act. public accommodations

The Fourteenth Amendment protects civil rights and civil liberties. Explain how civil liberties were incorporated by the Supreme Court in two of the following cases. • Gideon v. Wainwright • Mapp v. Ohio • Miranda v. Arizona

• Gideon v. Wainwright-right to an attorney for indigents • Mapp v. Ohio- illegally seized evidence cant be used in court; exclusionary rule • Miranda v. Arizona-must be informed of rights; no self incrimination; right to counsel; etc.